Espiral AtlasCricoid cartilage
cartilago cricoidea
Study entry
Parts
Signet-ring shape with the band facing forward: the posterior part is the lamina and the anterior, the arch. The opening has the diameter of a middle finger. Much smaller than the thyroid, it is thicker and stronger and is the only complete ring of cartilage around part of the airway.
Joints
It is connected to the lower border of the thyroid by the median cricothyroid ligament and to the first tracheal ring by the cricotracheal ligament. The cricoarytenoid joints lie between the bases of the arytenoids and the superolateral surfaces of the lamina.
Palpation
The median cricothyroid ligament is noticed as a soft zone just below the thyroid cartilage, where the larynx is closest to the skin and most accessible.
Source: cap. 9, «Esqueleto laríngeo»